Back in the early days of death metal, it was dismissed as a ridiculous fad; just infantile noise played by Neanderthals to shock decent, god-fearing people. That was of course, part of its appeal to spotty youths like me (back then), but suddenly a small bunch of bands appeared who took death metal in a whole different direction, injecting it with complexity, outside musical influences, an unprecedented level of intelligence (sometimes anyway) and a progressive, unique approach. This completely amazed some, and alienated others, but it also meant that death metal was taken seriously – some even accused it of being `music’.
One such band that completely redefined the boundaries of extreme metal at the time was Atheist, a band who had been there since the very early formation of the scene. Always original and distinctive, they played by their own rules and never sounded like anyone else. This is their first studio album in 17 years, and I imagine a lot of death metal fans over a certain age will be salivating at the thought of it!
17 years on, the new album is instantly recognisable as an Atheist release. First off, we have Kelly Shaefer’s unmistakeable vocals – a rather nasal snarl, somewhere between Dave Mustaine and Chuck Schuldiner, occasionally rising to an insane shriek. On paper, this may not sound so appealing, but his unique voice fits perfectly with the dazzlingly complex music, and adds a kind of hysterical intensity.
Secondly, we have the strange, jarring, jazz-influenced drumming which really catapults Athiest’s music into another sonic dimension – we are often pushed suddenly from seriously groove-laden thrashing to some strange syncopated beat in 7/4 time and back again before we even have time to draw breath. The drumming, courtesy of Steve Flynn really is breathtaking – all this intensity without a single blast beat.
Of course, there also the razor-sharp, intertwining riffs. Unlike Cynic, this has no drifting, gentle, ethereal parts – underneath the jazzy progressiveness it’s all about the metal. Huge sweeping melodies, jarring, thrashy riffs, sinister harmonies and massive solos leap out of the speakers with deadly intentions, wrapped around punchy, complex bass lines. It’s rather like being surrounded by a swarm of angry notes, hell-bent on stinging you into submission.
Unlike the latest trend in `tech death’, this music sounds like it was played by human beings as opposed to written on a computer. There are no gravity blasts, it’s not played at one zillion beats per minute, and it doesn’t have that `straight from the metal factory’ production about it. What you will find on this album is intensity, melody, actual feeling, and even parts you can remember! Fans of Atheist should rightly lap this up – this album is a real return to form for the band after such a long hiatus. Some may find the jazzy, progressive thrash/death metal slightly alienating, but those who really know what the band is about will love this release, it’s as if they’ve never been away.
http://www.myspace.com/kellysatheistwebsite
http://www.atheistmusic.com
